The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-02-12
COMMON SENSE TALK ON rHE
Shams in Modern Society. - Habit OF
on.-Management Of
Children.

SOASeu " cOup'y Will your request
and become an occasional contributor |
to your paper, though I am by nature
deficient in self-confidence and some
what reticent about giving expression !
to my thoughts, when 1 am not sure
about making favorable impression.
The few attempts I have heretofore
made toward writing for the press,
have been Published far away from
home, and over a signature that would
preserve my identity, should the arti.
cies ever fall into the hands of our
home folks; for, / am firm believer
in the words ofour Savior, GA prophet
is never without honor save in his own
country"
My first attempt toward Offering a
suggestion to the consideration of my
own immediate neighbours, will appear
in this issue OF your paper. And as
nothing but cesire To advance the
interests of our citizens, and to elevate
the standard Of the younger members
composing the society of our little city,
prompts the writing of this article,
beg that the readers of the Telegraph
will be lenient in their criticisms.
In looking over one of the dailies of
our State n short time since, I was at
tracied by an article headed "Modern
Shams in Society,"" After carefully
reading the same, l was struck with
the truthfulness of the writer in be,
lieving that society, instead Of being
made a great compact, designed to
promote the good of men and women,
is used, in many cases, only as cum
ming continuance to palm off unreal
virtues, and giveto the unsophisticated
wrong and injurious Impressions. A
glance at the average society of to-
day is sufficient 10 show that there is
but little in it that is really what one
supposes it to be. To the intelligent
observer, nothing is so clearly appar-
ent as its many shams and receptions.
Another growing evil Of the day,
and one that leads to direct sin, is the
habit OF eXaggeration. This habit is
one that has established Itself in every
household in the land, and is doing
moro to encourage lying than any
other habit. Everything that happens
to US is extraordinary. The gratiiica,,
lions of yesterday are transcendent
joys to-day. The petty annoyance of
lost week arc now browning misfor
tunes. Exaggeration has grown 10 be
80 much a part Of our daily life that
most of us have ceased to think of it
as evil.
/ request the reader of these lines to
thoughtfully consider the above sub
ject, and also to give some attention 10
few other hints which 1 shall give
below.
The fact that the children of the
present age are less deferential to pa
rents than in former years.. and more
inclined to take upon themselves the
airs and graces of grown up ladies and
gentlemen, has been a subject of much
thought to me, especially during the
last few years, when find myself the
the mother of good size boy and girl.
To me, the most responsible position
in life is that of parent. Alas! how
few parents fully realize to what an
extent they are responsible for the
development of the good, or bad,
character, of their children. How
careful should we be to teach by eX-
ample, as well as by pcecept, the lessons
which we would thoroughly impress
upon our children, and how few unders
stand the necessity, of first learning to
manage themselves, before undertake
| ing the management ofchitdren. Often
i, has been my misfortune to have
| child say to its mother, when it has
been corrected for some fault, "Mother
you do il, or "Mother, Father does it,"
therefore, / wish to urge upon the pa
rents, who may chance to read this ar
ticie, the Importance of setting watch
upon their own hearts and lips, that
their children, no matter how much
they may feel inclined To do ST., will
have no cause TO excuse their own err
rors with tho consciousness, that
Mother and Father are guilty of the